Other Peoples' Mothers

The beginning of May is always a poignant time of year.

I feel the weight of May Day (as in the struggle for worker rights globally rather than dancing and flowers), Cinco de Mayo (as in commemoration of a beleaguered Mexican army's victory over a powerful French army rather than bottles of tequila), Mothers's Day (as in the struggle to "bewail and commemorate" the war dead rather than a brunch reservation at your favorite restaurant), and the end of May brings Memorial Day (as in solemn remembrance of our fallen service members rather than steaks on the grill).  It's spring, flowers are blooming, days are warming (well, ok, in the Arizona desert, the only flowers we're seeing now are those on the ironwood trees and saguaro cactus, always a sign of triple digit temperatures just around the corner), and hope should be palpable.

This year brings an added layer of introspection as the Arizona Legislature has adjourned leaving some heavy bills on the Governor's desk.  Last year at this time, we were burdened by the impending implementation of the "attrition through enforcement" law that Governor Brewer had just signed.  This year, she signed bills that will see Arizona taxpayers footing the bill for a border fence as well as for a "state militia".

Interior Enforcement is often a silently destructive practice that has many mothers mourning the shredding of their families.  Some states are pushing back out of the realization that engaging local law enforcement in enforcing immigration law might well serve the agendas of ICE and CBP but does nothing to build strong communities or support families in their struggles to make a living.  Our law enforcement officers are intended to serve their community as Peace Officers, not as tools to implement a severely flawed strategy.  The Department of Homeland Security declares that Secure Communities only seeks to deport "serious criminals" yet according to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, their research shows that 79 percent of those deported under Secure Communities not only did not commit any serious crime, they either did not commit any crime at all, or committed very low-level or administrative offenses.

Further, we continue to abuse the intellect and passion of our students by allowing the DREAM Act to fail once again.  "These are not people who 'broke the law', they were brought here as infants and children.  Punishing them [by deporting all of them] is like punishing a 1-year old for not wearing a seat belt...What future can we have without the economic prowess and social stability that come from an educated population?" (Roxie Bacon, former CIS Office of Chief Counsel attorney)  Indeed, what future can we have as a nation when we systematically expend precious public resources on rounding up educated people for crimes they didn't commit and thereby destroying their families and the dreams of individuals who built this country to its greatness?

People actually get angry with me when I say this stuff from a pulpit.  Yet, I cannot see how so many members of Christian congregations can even sit still much less stay silent about what is happening to the families, our neighbors in our communities.  As of October 2010, seven of Arizona's fifteen counties are embroiled in Secure Communities agreements with ICE and to date, all Arizona Law Enforcement agencies are sharing arrest data with ICE.  In Maricopa County we have seen the devastation wrought by a rogue sheriff implementing his 287(g) agreement (flawed predecessor to Secure Communities) radically enough to have DHS revoke his street agreement (his jails agreement remains in place).

So, for me, at this time of year in 2011, hope is really not all that palpable.  I don't think we'll begin to feel any kind of hope for the kinds of strong communities that support families and thrive economically until people engage the teachings of a guy named Jesus.  Peter said to the eleven, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." The corruption of this generation will go largely unnoticed without the voice of the Church calling us together.